Quote:By Bernadette McNulty6:20PM GMT 17 Nov 20115

Giant balloons littered the stage for the debut London gig of Lana del Rey, symbolic perhaps of the phenomenal amounts of hot air generated by the arrival of this American singer. Ever since the 25-year-old’s startling debut single Video Games appeared online in October, del Ray - real name Lizzie Grant - has provoked almost hysterical levels of fascination and animosity. She has been accused of being a Frankenstein pop puppet moulded by Svengali-types both musically and physically into a sultry, flame-haired siren; of lying about her comfortable upbringing and most heinously, trying to erase her past musical life online. As Amanda Knox could testify, the naive records of a young girl’s life on the Internet - no matter how innocently misjudged - seem to be neither forgivable nor forgettable.

It’s not hard to find traces of Lizzie Grant, sweet New York singer-songwriter, still online and she hardly seems a millions miles away from her more polished re-incarnation. The real crime Grant seems to have committed is to make a song - perhaps the most wonderful single of the year: a weird, other-worldly, hearbreakingly emotional waltz - that appeals to indie kids, while also aspiring to a certain level of conventional pop star glamour and theatrical posturing.

Such was the voyeuristic anticipation for Grant, you almost expected a monster to emerge on stage, a terrifying, collagen-lipped Hydra in go-go boots. So when she did step out, demurely dressed in palazzo trousers and Rita Hayworth curls - looking gorgeous, slight and utterly human - it was both a relief and an anti-climax.

Similarly, without an album yet out, Grant did not have a huge back-catalogue to draw upon live. Defining her aesthetic as 'Hollywood sadcore’ you could hear her straining towards a sound in principle that crosses spooky David Lynch-style trembling rock n’roll with head-nodding contemporary hip hop rhythms. Grant’s voice flits easily from smooth jazz scats to despairing, Tori Amos-style cries and as she moved slowly and awkwardly like a marionette, her hand protectively fluttering up to cover her mouth, she seemed endearingly vulnerable rather than dangerously vampish.

No other song she has at the moment comes anywhere near the funereal beauty of Video Games and even played slightly too fast, its devastating declarations of desperate love still silenced the room. Rather than puff out proceedings with cover versions and half-written sketches, Grant was honest enough to apologise for her brief set and exit the stage. It was short but sweet and enough to prove that behind the hype, Lana del Ray is a real talent with plenty to prove next year.

Quote:She is the daughter of domain investor and millionaire Rob Grant. Grant's management chose her stage name, "I wanted to be a band but the label I was with and the team I had around me absolutely wanted me to be a solo artist. Lana Del Rey came from a series of managers and lawyers over the last 5 years who wanted a name that they thought better fit the sound of the music."

Quote:The 25-year-old singer-songwriter drew scorn from celebrities via Twitter for her lack-luster performance on the legendary comedy sketch show.

"Wow watching this 'singer' on SNL is like watching a 12 year old in their bedroom when they're pretending to sing and perform. #signofourtimes," Juliette Lewis posted on Twitter, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The tweet was later removed.

Del Rey landed the coveted gig even before her major label debut, "Born to Die," has even been released. The album is due out later this month, but the New York-born performer had created a huge online buzz after posting a video of her song, "Video Games."

"I don't think they've ever had anyone perform who didn't even have a record out, so I do appreciate it," she told MTV News last week. "I'm a good musician. And I may not have a record out now, but I have been singing for a very long time, and I think that Lorne [Michaels\] knows that, and everyone over there knows that. It's not a fluke decision.”

(01-15-2012, 03:40 PM)Shela Wrote: She was plain bad in that show...It was a wrong move by her handlers, because all the buzz now it´s about how bad it was...

I hope Interscope does better for Haley and take it one step at a time...

(01-15-2012, 03:40 PM)Shela Wrote: She was plain bad in that show...It was a wrong move by her handlers, because all the buzz now it´s about how bad it was...

I hope Interscope does better for Haley and take it one step at a time...

(01-15-2012, 04:05 PM)john Wrote:

(01-15-2012, 03:40 PM)Shela Wrote: She was plain bad in that show...It was a wrong move by her handlers, because all the buzz now it´s about how bad it was...

I hope Interscope does better for Haley and take it one step at a time...

Now imagine Randy, JLo, and Steven sitting at the judging table in from of her.

Randy: Sounds like really bad Karaoke. Yo,yo just keeping it real.
LDR: But it's my song.
JLo: Nice dress but your movements are a bit awkward. Just relax and be yourself. As far as the singing goes I'll have to go with Randy on this one.
Steven: Zzzzz.